Music came to Huntsville with the arrival of Wernher von Braun and his rocket team to Redstone Arsenal in 1950. In the fall of 1954, Arthur Fraser of Montevallo and a Huntsville cellist came together and decided to start an orchestra. The following January, both men sent out letters to local musicians to come together and form an orchestra. On February 15, 1955, forty musicians responded to the invitations, and rehearsals began in the old Butler High School band room. Fraser once remarked that the Huntsville Civic Orchestra (HCO) got off to a better start with forty musicians than the New York Philharmonic in 1842 with only sixteen members.

May 13, 1955 was the first public rehearsal of the orchestra. Later that August, the HCO was chartered and had its first board meeting. Their budget for the year was a grand total of $1,057, which included $69 for facilities rentals and $100 guest artist fees. December 13, 1955 was the inaugural concert of the HCO, which was held at Huntsville High School.

March 6 of the following year was the second concert, which featured the Huntsville Community Chorus. 1957 saw many changes to the growing orchestra’s fundraising. That September, the budget for the orchestra rose to $3,500 for the following year. The first youth concert was held on April 26, 1958. May 1959 found the orchestra well-established, and it was giving out eight concerts a year.

The 1964-1965 season was the first sold-out season. In June of 1968, the HCO officially became the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. Today, the HCO is the oldest continuously operating orchestra in Alabama.